Faq

[DrBrain]

Hello,

first of all, my congrats to Crystalfontz for providing the most extensive LCD-related website I've seen during last week that I'm into my "LCD conquest"

I'm completely newbie to all this (although an engineer but in different field), therefore I have a lot of questions before I decide which panel should be adequate for me. So, is there some FAQ somewhere explaining all the technologies involved? For example, why the "temperature" is important? Why do I need an "inverter" ? Among many others... :-O


thanks in advance!

-n-

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[CF Tech]

Thank you for your kind words about the site.

The first question is usually "what is your application"--from there we can point you to the best display we offer for that application.

Temperature refers to the rated operation range for the modules:

0 to +50 deg C is "normal"

-20 to +70 deg C is "wide"

If it will be inside, then normal is fine. If it is outside, the wide may be a better choice.

Many modules are "rated" as normal, but will actually operate outside that range. For instance, we have tested the "normal temp range, 0-50 deg C" 634 from -30 to +80, and other than slow updating at cold temperatures (which is common for all LCDs at low temp) and adjusting the contrast setting to keep the display visible, it worked fine. The difference is that it is not guaranteed to work out side 0-50.

Most LCDs have LED backlights, which do not need an inverter. An EL (electro-luminescent) or CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lighting) backlight will need an appropriate inverter.

For more general info take a look at our links page:

http://www.crystalfontz.com/links/index.html

and scroll down to the "LCD References" section.